Cargo throughput hits 14.23m metric tonnes

The country’s two seaports Tema and Takoradi ports handled a total of 14.23 metric tonnes of containerised cargo as at the third quarter of 2016; data from the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) has shown.

This indicates a 10.3 percent growth over the same period 2015 figure of 12.2 million metric tonnes.

The collation of the quarter-four figures is expected to move the total cargo throughput to the two ports even further.

The largest and busiest port, Tema Port, handled a total of 10.58 metric tonnes representing 74.3 percent while the Takoradi Port took up the remaining 25.7 percent, handling 3.66 million metric tonnes of the total cargo.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GSA, Sylvia Asana Owu, in an interview with the B&FT, attributed the impressive trend to the growing confidence in the economy and the elections process.

“Even though 2016 was an election year, improved confidence in the election process enabled people to go about their business normally.

The improved business environment at the ports, as well as confidence in the security along the country’s transit routes, directed business through our ports.”

She added: “To us, it is quite encouraging and we can only hope for the better; hopefully the fourth quarter figures could push the throughput figures up.”